I helped to write a sitcom this week. It was with Jane Bussmann, the brilliant writer on Smack the Pony, Brass Eye and South Park, among other twisted TV gems. I wasn't the only one; there were about 50 of us in the basement of London's Soho Theatre on Sunday night, lending a hand on her new six-part sitcom.

Scheduling five one-off dramas in a prime-time slot was always going to be a ratings gamble; with no cliff-hangers or continuing storyline to keep the viewer hooked, why should we bother to tune in again next week? To enjoy great new writing like that on show in Rubenesque, that's why.

While I am a fan of Alan Carr’s stand-up work, it was a relief to hear that he had shelved plans to write and star in his own sitcom. It was due to centre on a professional dog walker but he abandoned it after discovering that Getting On duo Vicki Pepperdine and Joanna Scanlan had got to the idea first with Puppy Love, their new series for BBC4.

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